Owl Spirit Animal

By Elena Harris, SpiritAnimal.info Editor

The owl spirit animal is emblematic of a deep connection with wisdom and intuitive knowledge. If you have the owl as totem or power animal, you’re likely to have the ability to see what’s usually hidden to most. When the spirit of this animal guides you, you can see the true reality, beyond illusion and deceit. The owl also offers for those who have it a personal totem the inspiration and guidance necessary to deeply explore the unknown and the magic of life.

Owl Symbolism

Symbolic meanings for the owl are:

Intuition, ability to see what others do not see

The presence of the owl announces change

Capacity to see beyond deceit and masks

Wisdom

The traditional meaning of the owl spirit animal is the announcer of death, most likely symbolic like a life transition, change

Owl Totem Quotes

“Don’t count your owls before they are delivered.”
Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter

“A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why aren’t we like that wise old bird?”
Unknown

The owl spirit animal and the power to see in the dark

The owl sees in the dark: As a spirit animal, the owl guides you to see beyond the veil of deception and illusion; it helps see what’s kept hidden. It also symbolizes the ability to cut through illusions and see the real meaning of someone’s action or state of mind.

When the owl is one of your power animals, you have a strong intuition and can access information and wisdom that’s usually hidden to most. The spirit of this animal encourages you to look beyond deceiving appearances into the true reality of a situation or a person’s motives.

The owl is a strong spirit guide for discernment and making decision based solid foundations. Call on the owl totem when you have to assess a situation or are going through confusing times.

The unknown and the owl power animal

If you have an owl as a totem or spirit animal, you probably like to explore the unknown. The mysteries of life are a fascinating field of interest. As the owl guides your steps, you are likely to develop an appreciation for life’s magic.

When the owl shows up in your life, listen and look out for the subtle signs that are around you. Your animal spirit guide is a great helper to be attentive to what usually goes below your radar, but is now of particular importance.

The owl is also a guide to uncover your hidden potential and abilities. Check whether you need to reveal more of your intuitive nature.

Night time is particularly auspicious for your creativity, so take the time to focus your creative energy then.

Owl spirit animals as messengers of change

Owl spirit animals are symbolic of death in many traditions. In most cases however, it should not be taken literally: If the owl is associated with death, it can be viewed a symbolic death, meaning a transition in life, important changes that are taking place or about to happen.

When the owl shows up in your life, pay attention to the winds of change. Perhaps you are about to leave some old habits, a situation that no longer serve you or bring something new in your life.

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Dream interpretation of the owl

When you dream about an owl, your spirit animal may be contacting you to warn you about a danger or threat hat you need to pay attention to. It can bring a wise insight about important matters that you should not ignore.

When an owl appears in a dream, it could also mean that the intuitive part of you is calling for attention: Pay attention and listen to the subtle signs in your life, to what is important, but not necessarily obviously so.

The owl could also be a animal spirit guide offering you insight about a moment of transition. Since this totem animal is often associated with death, when an owl shows up in a dream, it could mean that you are receiving guidance regarding personal transformation, change.

In many dream interpretations, the owl can represent a deceased friend or family member who comes back in the dream in the shape of a spirit animal.

The owl spirit animal & superstition

Birds, especially birds of the night, are often associated with departed souls. The owl is no exception. In some popular believes, they are considered as bad omen signifying the imminent death of a close relative or someone important. Romans even believed that an owl hooting from the top of a public building announces the death of an important public figure. It could also represent the spirit of a deceased family of close friend.

The night owl was the animal associated with the Lord of Death in the Aztec tradition. There’s a similar meaning for the Celts who associated the owl’s spirit with an animal announcing death, especially if it flies into someone’s window while a sick person is inside the house. It was viewed as the spirit animal that would carry the souls of the departed to the underworld.

Other traditional meanings for the owl spirit animal

In Indian American traditions, the owl is called the Night Eagle. The owl totem has a special connection with the night and the moon, while the eagle is connected to the sun.

The owl is associated with witchcraft in a number of European and some American Indian traditions. Witches would often take the owl as an animal spirit guide.

In Greek mythology, the Goddess Athena, goddess of the wisdom and war, was represented as an owl. It is said that the Romans believed that someone would reveal all their secrets during their sleep if an owl feather was placed near their pillow. What is the owl spirit animal revealing about your secrets?

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938 Responses to Owl Spirit Animal

Lisa MartelMay 26, 2013

very awesome article, very well written, i love owls for many reason the reasons you have written about and their uniquness and beauty, thankyou fro writting thi very well informe article ,god bless you ,xo love lisa

potent poetry written at night, a cortex of a metaphor
synergic of flight.. soliloquy dreamt the sound of life
a stand alone, defying flesh by rewriting gravity
and despite anguish, appearing above natural
discomposed from that known by all,
i watch myself draw Nazareth at the depths of a pencilled owl,
with a disfigured blade and a black scowl on the hooded armour
reminding me, of every object every fear
that replaced limits, levitating where i see fit.

I have had 2 major encounters with owls the first one way in May of 2009 a day after my brother committed suicide at 31 yrs old, It was a huge snowy white owl in Manistee Michigan, it took my breath away, I made my husband stop the car and we just stared at it for a while he was so beautiful and just slowly turned his head around at me and looked at me for what seemed like forever. I got a sense of peace my baby brother was a fisherman a hunter a survivor he was broken and lost when he took his life… the second time was about a year and half later our best friend (who happened to have passed a month after my brothers death in a fatal motorcycle accident ) his father went out into a field here in our little town and took his own life .. he was about 60 yrs old.. 2 days after his very heart wrenching funeral my daughter came running into our home which is in town and was screaming there’s an owl hurt outback in the bushes!! we thought she was just seeing something else… sure enough it was a very amazing great horned owl his wing was broken… he spent the night with us until the wildlife conservatory came and picked him up and brought him back to health…well now after these few years have passed…I went to sleep last night and closed my eyes..and had a vision…of owls .. a bunch of tiny little owls flying all around …as if they were like angels in the air …. can anyone tell me their thoughts on this ?? ever since my first encounter I’ve been doing some research and just don’t know what to think I’m a Jesus loving Christian, but I know we live in a spiritual world full of mysteries, messages, and warnings.. any insight would be greatly appreciated

Hi Amelia, it looks like Owl is your spiritual messenger. The snowy white owl, in particular, is a messenger of prophecy. When it visits you after a death, you are definitely getting a message from your deceased loved-one! For you, this visitation means that your brother is saying “I’ll see you again in spirit”. I would find so much hope in this message!

In general, owls are messengers. They are able to connect different worlds, meaning that they bring a message from one world and then to you. If you feel really connected to owls (like, you keep seeing them), you may want to consider examining yourself and how you identify with the Owl Totem meaning.

I see that you are a follower of Jesus. Did you ever hear that an Owl was on top the cross that Jesus was on? As you research, I STRONGLY recommend that you look for the good in all of this. Of course there are “dark” and “light” aspects of this topic. However, everthing has a good and bad to it. All you have to do is own what is good. I call this “looking at things in the LIGHT”.

Hi Amelia, you are seriously connected to the creature world in a strong way. As you honor that by inviting it more (with the grace of god as guidance of course) know that it is more pure than even that of humans. The creatures have not been tainted, they come with the pure truth (although we struggle for our meanings). I might also gently add, that if you’re driving with children or near groups of children, be mindful & careful, & hold them in your presence of love & care. Yukon

I am desperate for answers. Last May, my family moved into a new home. In July I began hearing an owl at night while sitting on my back patio. Finally, around the end of september, my best friend and I saw our first owl. It was a huge, beautiful grey and white owl, which I thought was odd for being in Texas. After researching, there are owls of that color in this area. However, this one topped all others pictures I has seen online. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that the both of us saw two different owls while driving home from the store. The very next day, while driving by myself, I saw a huge owl flying behind 2 huge hawks. As I was driving to turn around to see them better, I came upon another owl just perched on a fence. He sat there long enough for me to get pictures of him. The next day, a bald eagle was flying over my house. I was able to get pictures of this incredible bird as well. It wasnt until last night that I saw two more owls on my way home from the store. Again, both let me take pics of them. This makes a total of 7 that I have seen over the past few months.What could all of this mean? My father passed away in a car accident on december 7, 2014. He was known for having great wisdom/discernment. However, in these last few months it has become evident that my husband is a pathological liar/narcissist/[possible] psychopath. This new knowledge has answered many questions Ive had about him for the past 10 years (which is how long we’ve been together). I have been staying in our 3 yr olds bedroom for over a month now. He lies about eveything and just let me spend the anniversary of my dads death alone. Not to mention, our second wedding anniversary on dec 20th (our 1st we were unable to celebrate due to my dads death) AND Christmas. He allowed me to spend these days completely alone. Im totally questioning life right now. We are a family of 5 (I have two daughters from a previous relationship) I am a firm believer/follower of Jesus. Any idea what any of this could mean!? 7 owls and a bald eagle!? Ive read a lot about the owl lately, and being a cancerian zodiac sign, Ive always had special intuition/3rd eye….but I cannot put these puzzle pieces together…or maybe I have, and thats what scares me. Please help!
-Amber
Sad and desperate….

Hi Amelia, I too saw an owl after my partner committed suicide. It came and sat on my clothesline..very near my house where I was sitting on the back step. I was able to go inside, fetch my son and come back. I did also get a sense of peace and before it came, a wave of missing my partner came over me/or a sense of the kindness and love I would no longer have with him. I was also pregnant (although not sure of it and later lost the baby).

Previously, I was up very late at university finishing a thesis when I went outside for a break. I saw a beautiful and very big owl across the road in a tree. That night, unbeknownst to me, my partner had taken off and was in a very bad state.

I wonder about it..enough to google it. The sense of peace was memorable and the lack of fear in the owl, so close. I also would welcome insight!
Warmest regards, Kim

Hi Kim. I too have seen them after a suicide. I had seen 2 my whole life, after my sister passed everyday. I hear it from my window. No doubt in my mind its connected. If you saw what I see you’d have no choice but to believe its her. Its been 5 years now. Its not everyday anymore but happens a lot. Not always at home it follows me. I stopped talking about it because I felt skepticism. Its so bold at times I just stop smile and wave. Never scary. Its unreal. It always finds me never feel like I’m looking for it. Sometimes it screams I look up its there.

I love this! That is amazing. I was looking for answers about my dream on Google,ofcourse, I read this article and found it useful, wasn’t going to read the comments but I’m so glad I did now! My friend committed suicide on Christmas 2014, it was a really hard time for my friends and family, still is, but I had a dream of him lastnight and I caught an owl, it was very friendly and cuddly and I didn’t want it to end, I passed him the owl and it hugged Him, I walked away for just a second and saw my brother in law from a distance smack it away. I became furious in my dream and left in the car with my friends and he was gone after that. I woke up very happy though.

Though out my life owls seem to be a constant, and lately have been showing up a lot. Last night I went outside with the dogs and as I was standing there on the deck, a huge owl flew right over me, almost close enough to touch it. After reading some articles, I now understand and they make total sense to me.

I remember once as a kid living in Los Angeles,I was about 5 years old,a friend of my mother came over and said there was a large group of owls perched on the edge of a supermarket roof nearby,so we all went down to look and sure enough there were about 25 or 30 owls there on this roof,this was around noon or mid-morning,we watched a while,then left,very indelible imprint left on me,never forgot this

Just come home from a bush walk here in New Zealand where an Owl flew to a branch above the track we were waking. Most amazing experience and feel truly blessed to have witnessed such an awesome sight. Daytime walk too on the day of the equniox. Was very special

This baby is too perfect! Will there be a cneladar Cory? There SHOULD be! Got all the genes for beautiful that missed great Uncle Don! I am no lying when I say I don’t remember the last time I saw such a beautiful baby.

It seems i’m not the only one having this kind of feeling, my life recently suffered a radical change, in a good way, and in this search for answers i found the alchemy, the ouroboros, and lots of “owl signs”. They seem related to transformation and transmutation.

I am an owl… Owl city is good music if you like owls… If you like reading read the gaurdians of ga’hoole… If you watch movies watch the gaurdians of ga’hoole movie adaptation… If you like video games play the gaurdians of ga’hoole video game… I am an owl… Burrowing owl… Also if you like graphic novels check out Owly by Andy Runton… Owls…

Lysa I read your comment and I thought just look out for the wrong one, fast and easy is dangerous and sometimes when you want something so badly you can grab onto the wrong thing. The person who tells you what you want to hear can be dangerous.

I love owls because they are the sloymbs of wisdom , but in real a human never can get the perfectly wisdom so then there’s just a goal we need to reach. Not so philosophically I love owls because they’re the birds of night as I am ( mainly in exam periods ) my ultimate favorites are the pretty little howlet and the superb snow-owl O_*

Everything I read about owl dreams and owl spirit animal guides are referring to ‘one’ owl. My dream had so many owls, I cannot count them all. I’m overwhelmed with the implications of this dream. I can’t even begin to tell you the changes that are occurring in my life and to have this dream on the night of January 1st (or morning of January 2nd, however you want to look at it) is extraordinarily profound for me.
If anyone has any thoughts to share on this, please do.

Lysa, a lot of folks are having dreams like this lately. Not owls specifically, but dreams fortelling massive dark events or massive change (this is not end-times hysteria, it is just awareness of reality) that will effect humankind on a global scale. Perhaps you are picking up on this same vibration. There is a big change coming, perhaps much death, and changes in your life would be part of the overall global changes that are also coming. Many are also feeling overwhelmed by these feelings, but do not be discouraged, there are many of us who stand by your side. Blessings to you in your search for answers and your dealings with change. I would ask the universe, or your higher self, or even the owls as a spirit guide for guidance, keep an open heart, and you are sure to find your answers.

Last week as i was driving my truck 50 mph at night by myself home.Something landed in front middle of my windshield. I was in shock realizing it was blocking center and it was dark. I started to scan from dashboard up focusing I saw eyes looking staring at me through the windshield. Im on Kaua’i. I felt panic set in and tried to break, it thumped on my windshield i saw its whole wing. It had a round head, it was owl! It was a Hawaiian pu’eo! It left its imprinted wing mark sliding up my windshield. I was in shock! Driving, thinking that if it was hurt it may have landed in the bed of truck… I was not stopping very remote and dark area, When i arrived at gas station. There was nothing in my truck bed. I drive past where this happened everyday. I haven’t seen anything on side of road or in road!I am still in awe and hope it flew to safety.